A new poll of rank-and-file, self-identified Republican voters has caused a stir by finding that large percentages of them hold various extreme views, including conspiracy theories about President Obama, which are being popularized through the Tea Party movement:

All I can say is it's about time someone takes this country by the horns and gets us back in God's good graces. Teabaggers will save us and become one the the great movements of this country. Sarah Palin, who sacrificed so much to give herself to this country, will end up leading this movement. I hope there is room on Mt. Rushmore for her bust at some point. Every now and then, especially in times of great trouble for this country, a strong leader will come to the surface. Sarah is that leader. Thank you Republicans for standing strong in doing nothing so we can get back to sanity. God bless this country. We are the twinkle in God's eye. Never forget that.

Sarah Palin's just a symptom, though. If she were out of the equation, the movement would just coalesce around somebody else, like Huckabee (who won a lot of primaries and finished 2nd in '08.) Or the "mainstream" candidates like Romney and Gingrich will kowtow to them to get their votes. These people aren't going away, and it's hard to see how they can be reasoned with, or how sane, rational people could govern alongside them...

You've only just figured this out. If you lay down with dogs you get fleas. They've been milking fundies, and assorted rightwing crackpots, gun nuts, "sportsmen" AKA fat fuckers who like to shoot defenseless herbivores, for votes for years. Eventually even people as dumb as they are will want something in return. That "something" is a say in policy.

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"Atheism is not a mission to convert the world. It only seems that way because when other religions fall away, atheism is what is left behind".

Why link this to the Tea Party Movement? The TPM is a non-partisan grass-roots movement protesting big government, waste and taxation. That's why the largest protests were on April 15. It has nothing to do with religion, birth conspiracies, gay marriage or anything else. The Republican administration of the last 8 years was as wasteful as any Democrats could be. I know Democrats and independents who participate.

Because economic frugality is is an issue more often associated with conservatives than with liberals, you're going to find more Republicans at tea parties, and of course, a good number of them are delusional religious wingnuts. Fiscal conservatives who feel the GOP has become infested with theocrats are leaving the party like rats from a sinking ship. I would have been one of them, if I hadn't jumped ship years ago.

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I stopped believing for a little while this morning. Journey is gonna be so pissed when they find out...

You don't think the Republicans are behind the TPM? You can't be that gullible. They made most of the signs, provided the busses for the trips, even food etc. That is why FOX has had a cob up their rear for them all this time. Wake up and smell the nutters.

I'm sorry, xphobe, but really, are you serious? Where are these supposed coherent TPM people then? I've not seen a one. I'm going to guess that there will be accusations that the "media" is somehow to blame for these people never appearing.

I consider myself a fiscal conservative person too and I would never associate myself with the teabaggers.

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"There is no use in arguing with a man who can multiply anything by the square root of minus 1" - Pirates of Venus, ERB

You don't think the Republicans are behind the TPM? You can't be that gullible. They made most of the signs, provided the busses for the trips, even food etc.

Got a link?

I know a number of people who have attended tea parties in my area. They all made their own signs and provided their own transportation. I suppose they could be the exception to the rule, but I can only go by what I know...

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I stopped believing for a little while this morning. Journey is gonna be so pissed when they find out...

It is a tiny group of unbelievably wealthy families who want the government to serve them. They are trying to become a permanent aristocracy. This is one reason why I think the estate tax is necessary.

xphobe, surely you've realized that while this forum is about in rational and coherent thought when it comes to religion, there are members on here who are no better than the theists when it comes to politics!

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"As a God fearing Christian, you should never ever date an Atheist. One night alone with an atheist is enough for you to lose your faith and to be converted into one of the spiritually dead."

This is not a unique phenomenon - some student demonstrations in the 60s were co-opted by organized communist agitators, but it doesn't mean that the students didn't originally have good motives.

This is true. I am sure that the members of what is the current tea-bagger movement has good intentions from their horribly misguided point of view. And perhaps like the hippies, their original movement has been completely co-opted and does not resemble what it was at the beginning. But that was not what you said.

Why link this to the Tea Party Movement? The TPM is a non-partisan grass-roots movement protesting big government, waste and taxation. That's why the largest protests were on April 15. It has nothing to do with religion, birth conspiracies, gay marriage or anything else. The Republican administration of the last 8 years was as wasteful as any Democrats could be. I know Democrats and independents who participate.

Bold mine. The links I provided showed the people who funded them. They are not grassroots though their financiers would like it to appear that way. They are now all those things you say they are not.

xphobe, surely you've realized that while this forum is about in rational and coherent thought when it comes to religion, there are members on here who are no better than the theists when it comes to politics! ;)

Yeah, well, so far the only one side has provided evidence. So it looks like you are calling xphobe a theist.

I don't care who is right or wrong about the teabaggers. Hash it out, whatever. All it this means to me is I will probably vote for Obama, even though I don't like him. I would go that far to keep a teabagger out of the White House.

I know quite a few teabaggers and they are all fundies that would much prefer a Christian theocratic dictatorship. They will talk about fiscal conservatism, big government and so on, but to them these things are only excuses to bitch about the Democrats and Obama.

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So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence. --Bertrand Russell

I see this as a good thing. The more radical the Repuglicans become the more they're going to alienate everyone who's not radical. This is going to create a great opportunity for a new political party to fill the niche created by this dying dinosaur. Only one political party currently in existence is sufficiently different from the Demoncrats (and isn't filled with religious fanatics) to fill that niche, the Libertarian Party.

I see this as a good thing. The more radical the Repuglicans become the more they're going to alienate everyone who's not radical. This is going to create a great opportunity for a new political party to fill the niche created by this dying dinosaur. Only one political party currently in existence is sufficiently different from the Demoncrats (and isn't filled with religious fanatics) to fill that niche, the Libertarian Party.

IMO, you are right in that the teabaggers will alienate Republicans that are not radicals. It will alienate Conservatives who don't consider themselves Republicans, but usually vote that way. It will alienate moderate Democrates from working with Republicans to get things done(as it will look like they are supporting the nutters). But, you are wrong in that this will help the Libertarians except in a very small way. What will happen is moderate Republicans and Conservatives will hold their nose and vote for Democrats. A very small percent will join the Libertarian party, it might be just enough to get them federal funding though, so it will be somewhat helpful.

I see this as a good thing. The more radical the Repuglicans become the more they're going to alienate everyone who's not radical. This is going to create a great opportunity for a new political party to fill the niche created by this dying dinosaur.

Yeah it's just what America needs. Another right of Mussolini political party. Apparently two just isn't enough.

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"Atheism is not a mission to convert the world. It only seems that way because when other religions fall away, atheism is what is left behind".

Yes, the tea party people are just plain folks who want to improve the government. That's why Sarah Palin is charging $100,000 to speak at the rally. And all kinds of companies are planning to get rich selling pro-tea party $hit. Because that's what plain folks do.

IMO, you are right in that the teabaggers will alienate Republicans that are not radicals. It will alienate Conservatives who don't consider themselves Republicans, but usually vote that way. It will alienate moderate Democrates from working with Republicans to get things done(as it will look like they are supporting the nutters). But, you are wrong in that this will help the Libertarians except in a very small way. What will happen is moderate Republicans and Conservatives will hold their nose and vote for Democrats. A very small percent will join the Libertarian party, it might be just enough to get them federal funding though, so it will be somewhat helpful.

The Libertarians won't accept federal funding because doing so would be against Libertarian principles. Unless the Demoncrats move towards the right (which I can't see happening since it would alienate their Liberal base) I don't see how Conservatives will support them.

Yeah it's just what America needs. Another right of Mussolini political party. Apparently two just isn't enough.

Yeah, those fascist Libertarians. Who do they think they are supporting such things as gay marriage, gun rights, private property rights, repeal of corporate personhood, smaller government, freedom of religion, etc.